The Tauros King
by FarmerCarrots
Summary: Tavros Nitram, heir to the throne, runs away from home after his father died in a stampede. He meets two strangers, and continues his life as many believe he has also been killed. Yeah you know the story. Rated T for Language.
1. Prolouge

**THE TAUROS KING**

A sunrise, rising off the horizen, shone over the dry land.

Many trolls, tilting their head to the sounding call, made their way across the land, through trees and across rivers.

They were all going to one place.

As the sun slowly rose above the tips of the trees, the hurds of trolls gathered under the Great Rock, where their ruler watched over them.

But this was no day for mourning.

For today was the birth of new royalty.

As the elder made his way to the edge, he craddled the small grub in his large hands.

All the trolls, awaiting the arrival, got on one knee and bowed their heads.

The elder, showing the new born grub to the large crowd of trolls, listened to the cheering crowd.

The young grub, opening his large eyes, stared into what would soon be his kingdom.


	2. Challenge

Chapter One

A small sqeakbeast scurried into the dimly lite cave, only to be trapped by a large boot. A boney hand reached down, picking the squeakbeast from the floor and twirling it in his own hand.

"Life's not fair, is it?" A deep grumbling voice spoke to the frightened squeakbeast. " You see I - wwell, I - shall nevver be King."

Exhaling softly, he squeazed the squeakbeast in his large grip. "And you shall nevver see the light of another day."

He tightened his grip to kill the small squeakbeast before he was interrupted.

"Didn't your lusus ever tell you to not mess with the other lusii?"

"Sigh." The adult troll, still holding the squeakbeast, turned to the voice. "Wwhat do you wwant?"

"I'm here to announce that King Summoner is on his way." The interrupting lusus bowed to him. "So you'd better have a good excuse for missing the ceremony this morning."

The squeakbeast fell to the floor and scampered away. The adult troll looked down at the escaping squeakbeast with dissapointment.

"Oh noww, look Tinkerbull." He sighed. "You made me lose my kill."

"Ha!" Tinkerbull laughed. "You'll be losing alot more than that when the King gets through with you! He's as mad as a hoofbeast with a hernia!"

"Oooh, I'm quivverin wwith fear." The troll gazed his eyes onto Tinkerbull, ready to catch him.

"Now, Dualscar." Tinkerbull worried, backing up a bit. "Don't look at me that way... HELP!"

Dualscar sprang up as Tinkerbull tried to fly off, grasping him in his huge hands.

"DUALSCAR."

He turned to where the voice came from, still tightly grasping Tinkerbull.

"Yes?" He smiled.

"Drop him." The deep sound echoed through the cave.

"Impeccable timing, your majesty." Tinkerbull stared at the King, who was standing in the entrance to the cave.

Dualscar dropped Tinkerbull and he plopped on the floor.

"Wwhy," Dualscar sarcastically overjoyed. "If it isn't my big brother, descending from on high to mingle wwith the commoners."

"I didn't see you at the presentation of Tavros." Summoner growled.

"Oh, that wwas today? I feel simply awwful."

Dualscar looked down at his fingers.

"Must havve slipped my mind."

"Yes, well," Tinkerbell scolded as he began hovering again. "As slippery as your mind is, as the king's brother, you should have been first in line!"

Dualscar growled at Tinkerbull. He jumped and flew off to hide behind Summoner.

"Wwell, I wwas first in line," Dualscar sneered. "Until the little hairball wwas born."

Summoner stared at him angrily and balled up his fists. "That 'hairball' is my son. And your future king."

"Oh, I shall practice my curtsy." Dualscar turned away to walk deeper into the cave.

"Don't turn your back on me, Dualscar!" Summoner yelled into the cave.

"Oh, no, Summoner. Perhaps you shouldn't turn your back on me."

Summoner's wings buzzed as he sped in front of Dualscar and looked down on him.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Temper, temper. I wwouldn't dream of challengin you."

"Pity." Tinkerbull stared at Dualscar. "Why not?"

Dualscar stared back at Tinkerbull. "Wwell, as far as brains go, I got the troll's share. But, wwhen it comes to brute strength, I'm afraid I'm at the shalloww end of the gene pool."

Dualscar turned and walked further into the cave.

Summoner plated his feet back on the ground and walked out of the cave, Tinkerbull hovering near his shoulder.

"There's one in every family, sire." Tinkerbull sighed. "Two in mine, actually. And they always manage to ruin special occasions."

"What am I going to do with him?" Summoner asked.

"He'd make a very nice throw rug."

"Tinkerbull!" Summoner laughed as Tinkerbull landed on top of one of Summoner's large horns.

"And just think! Whenever he gets dirty, you take him out, and BEAT him!"

They both walk off in the distance, chuckling.


	3. Charging Lessons

Chapter Two

Tavros jumped through the cave of sleeping trolls, tripping over a couple as he made his way towards Summoner.

"Dad!" He called. "Daad! Come on! We gotta go! Wake up!"

"Oomph!" One of the sleeping trolls moaned as Tavros tripped and fell on top of.

"Oh, sorry."

He makes his way all the way to Summoner, who was curled up on the cave floor sound asleep.

"Dad. Dad. Wake up. Dad. Dad. Daaaad. Dad."

Tavros chanted dad for a couple seconds before Summoner peered through one open eye at Tavros.

"You promised." Tavros frowned.

"Ok, ok." Summoner pushed himself off the ground. "I'm up. I'm up.

He yawned, outstreaching his long jaw, before he hoisted himself onto his feet and followed Tavros out of the cave.

They climed up the large rock, which they considered home, to the very top, where both of them sat down, next to eachother, and dangled their feet over the edge. They watched the sun climb over the horizen and peer over every inch of the land.

"Look, Tavros." Summoner gestured to the never ending land. "Everything the light touches is our kingdom."

"Wow." Tavros sat in awe, staring around their kingdom, learning every detail.

"A king's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, Tavros, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king."

"And this will all be mine?"

"Everything."

"Everything the light touches." Tavros looked around, before noticing a dark, swampy area, where the trees blocked the sun from entering.

"What about that shadowy place?" He wondered, pointing toward the unlite area.

"That is beyond our borders." Summoner answered. "You must never go there, Tavros."

"But, I thought a king can do whatever he wants."

"Oh, there's more to being king than getting your way all the time."

Tavros stared in awe. "There's more?"

Summoner chuckled. "Tavros..."

He grabbed Tavros by the waist and began flapping his wings. Flying him down the large rock, they landed not too far into a large field. He set Tavros down and they begin walking again.

"Everything you see exists together, in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance, and respect all the creatures- from the crawling squeakbeast to the leaping hoofbeast." Summoner explained."

"But dad," Tavros wondered. "Don't we eat the hoofbeasts?"

"Yes, Tavros, but let me explain. When we die, our bodies become the grass. And the hoofbeast and lusus eat the grass. And so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life."

Tinkerbull flew in and hovered in front of the two.

"Good morning, sire!" He said.

"Good morning, Tinkerbull." Summoner responded.

"Checking in with the morning report!"

"Fire away."

"Well," Tinkerbull cleared his throat as he began his speech. "The buzz from the bees is that the spottedbeasts are in a bit of a spot..."

Summoner sat down, crossing his legs as he listened to Tinkerbull go on. "Oh, really?"

Uninterested in Tinkerbull, Tavros watches a small butterfly flutter around and land on a patch of grass.

"And the apebeasts are going ape over this. Of course, the long neckbeasts think they're above it all..."

Summoner leaned over and whispered to Tavros. "What are you doing, son?"

"Watching this butterfly." Tavros whispered back.

"Want some charging lessons from an old pro?"

"The tick birds are pecking on the tuskbeasts. I told them to forget it, but they can't..." Tinkerbull continued, unknowing of Summoner's lack of enthusiasm.

"Tinkerbull, would you turn around?"

"Of course, sire." Tinkerbull planted himself on a rock poking up from the ground and turned himself around before immediatly starting again. "The spotbeasts are hard up, but I always say..."

"Stay low to the ground. Always keep your horns pointed to your target."

"Ok," Tavros whispered back to Summoner. "Horns pointed toward the target. Alright. Yeah."

Tinkerbull tilted his head to barely look back at Summoner. "What's going on?"

"Charging lessons." Summoner responded to him.

"Oh, very good. Charging." Tinkerbull stopped and realized what he said. "Charging?! Oh no, sire! You can't be serious!"

Summoner motioned Tinkerbull to turn back around.

"Oh, this is so humiliating." Tinkerbull spun himself back around.

"Try to keep your eye on the target." Summoner whispered to Tavros as Tavros prepared himself to charge.

"What are you telling him, Summoner?" Tinkerbull turned around uneasily to find that Summoner and Tavros were not there. "Sire? Tavros?"

Suddenly, out of no where, Tavros hits Tinkerbull full on with his head, and Tinkerbull is thrown into a tree, and left completely stunned.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Summoner laughed. "That's pretty good!" Tavros smiled up at him.

From under Tinkerbull, out popped a small lusus from the ground.

"Tinkerbull!" He called.

Tinkerbull looked down at who called him. "Yes?"

"Sir! News from underground!"

"Oh my..."

Tinkerbull hovered over to Summoner with urgancy.

"Sire! Seadwellers! In the Pride lands!"

Summoner's expression changed almost immediatly.

"Tinkerbull," He ordered. "Take Tavros home."

"Oh, dad." Tavros asked. "Can't I come?"

"No, son."

Summoner flew off into the distance, leaving Tavros standing there pouting.

"I never get to go anywhere."

"Oh, young master," Tinkerbull reasured. "One day you will be king; then you can chase those sloppy, wet, stupid fish from dawn until dusk."


	4. Waterhole

Chapter Three

Dualscar sat up against the wall of his cave, one leg over the other and his arms crossed over his chest. Tavros skipped into the cave.

"Hey, Uncle Dualscar!" He grinned. "Guess what?"

"I despise guessin games." Dualscar rubbed his temples with his thumb and forefinger.

"I'm going to be king someday!"

Dualscar looked up at Tavros. "Oh goody." He groaned sarcastically.

"My dad just showed me the whole kingdom; and I'm going to rule it all!"

"Yes, wwell. Forgivve me for not leapin for joy. Bad back, you knoww."

Dualscar rolled over onto his side and Tavros walked around him and squatted down.

"Hey, Uncle Dualscar?" Tavros wondered. "When I'm king, what will that make you?"

"A monky's uncle." Dualscar grumbled.

Tavros laughed. "You're so weird."

"You havve no idea." Dualscar got up on one arm to look better at Tavros. "So, your father showwed you the wwhole kingdom, did he?"

"Everything."

"He didn't showw you wwhats beyond the rise of the northern border?"

"Well, no." Tavros stood up, looking dissapointed. "He said I can't go there."

Dualscar got up. "And he's absolutly right. It's far too dangerous. Only the bravvest trolls go there."

"Well, I'm brave! What' out th-"

"No, I'm sorry, Tavvros." Dualscar interrupted. "I just can't tell you."

"Why not?" Tavros pouted.

"Tavvros, Tavvros. I'm only lookng out for the wwell-bein of my favvorite nepheww." He patted Tavros' head.

"Yeah, right, I'm your only nephew."

"All the more reason for me to be protectivve. A lusus gravveyard is no place for a young prince." Dualscar faked a suprise. "Oops!"

"A lusus what? Whoa." Tavros' eyes widened.

Pretending to be in dismay, Dualscar responded, "Oh dear, I'vve said too much. Wwell, I suppose you'd havve found sooner or later, you bein SO clevver and all," He pulled Tavros close to him and whispered. "Oh, just do me one favvor. Promise me you'll nevver vvisit that dreadful place."

"No problem." Tavros nodded.

"There's a good lad. You run along noww and havve fun. And remember, it's our little secret.

Dualscar grinned evilly as Tavros left the cave.

* * *

Tavros sprinted up the large rock to where two trolls, and adult and a younger one were both sitting. The younger troll was on the older one's lap, getting her hair combed.

"Hey, Vriska." Tavros said as he got to them.

"Hi, Tavros." She smiled as he approched.

"Come on. I just heard about this great place."

Vriska clenched her teeth. "Tavros! I'm kinda in the middle of something."

"I'm just about done sweety." Mindfang, Vriska's mother, pulled the comb from her hair.

"So where are we going? It better not be anyplace dumb."

Tavros grinned. "No. It's really cool."

"So where is this 'really cool' place?" Mindfang asked.

"Um, around the water hole."

"The water hole?" Vriska groaned. "What's so great about the water hole?"

Tavros whispered to her. "I'll SHOW you when we GET there."

"Oh." Vriska whispered back. She looked up at Mindfang. "Uh, mom. Can I go with Tavros?"

"Well..." Mindfang thought for a moment.

"Please?" Tavros and Vriska pleaded.

Mindfang chuckled. "It's alright with me."

Tavros and Vriska began cheering to themselves.

"As long as Tinkerbull goes with you." She continued.

They immediatly stopped.

"No." Tavros whinned. "Not Tinkerbull."

* * *

"Step lively. The sooner we get to the water hole, the sooner we can leave." Tinkerbull called from her hovering position.

Tavros and Vriska walked through the tall grass, following Tinkerbull's lead.

"So where are we really going?" Vriska whispered to Tavros.

"A lusus graveyard." Tavros whispered back.

"Wow!"

"Shhh! Tinkerbull."

"Right. So how are we gonna ditch him?"

"Oh, I know how we can-"

"Oh, just look at you two." Tinkerbull flew down to the two. "Little seeds of romance blossoming in the Pride lands. Your parents will be thrilled, what with your being betrothed and all."

"Be-what?" Tavros asked.

"Bethrothed. Intended. Affianced."

"Meaning...?" Vriska wondered.

Tinkerbull smiled. "One day, you two are going to be matesprits!"

Both of them stuck their tounges out.

"I can't be matesprits with her." Tavros said. "She's my friend."

"Yeah." Vriska added. "It'd be too wierd."

Tinkerbull put his hoofs on his small waist. "Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but you two turtledoves have no choice. It's a tradition going back generations."

"Well," Tavros grinned. "When I'm king, that'll be the first thing to go."

"Not as long as I'm around."

"Well, in that case, you're fired."

"Hmm, nice try," Tinkerbull hovered higher. "But only the king can do that."

"Well, he's the future king." Vriska stated.

"Yeah." Tavros called up to Tinkerbull. "So you have to do what I tell you."

"Not yet I don't." Tinkerbull stuck his tounge out. "And with an attitude like that, I'm afraid you're shaping up to be a pretty pathetic king indeed."

"Hmph. Not the way I see it."

Tavros pulled his hands to his head and consentrated on Tinkerbull.

Suddenly, Tinkerbull stopped hovering and fell to the ground, completely asleep.

"Woah!" Vriska gasped. "Where'd you learn to do that?"

"My dad taught it to me. Now come on!" Tavros ran off towards the the lusus graveyard, Vriska not to far behind.


	5. Lusus Graveyard

Chapter Four

"All right, we made it!" Tavros panted.

"We lost him." Vriska smiled.

"I am a genius."

"Hey, Genius, it was my idea."

"Yeah, but I pulled it off."

"With me!"

"Oh yeah?" Tavros charged at Vriska.

Vriska caught Tavros' horns with one of hers and pushed him to the ground. She planted a foot on his stomach.

"Ha." She laughed. "Pinned ya."

"Hey," Tavros tried to get up. "Lemme up."

Vriska lifted her foot off of Tavros and he got up. After regaining his footing, he charged again at Vriska.

She caught Tavros' horn agian, but his time pushing him back before he fell on the ground.

And again, she pinned him down with her foot.

"Pinned ya again." She smiled widely.

A large bubble popped from the green murk of the swamp, startling Vriska and Tavros.

Tavros got up. "This is it. We made it."

The large swamp, covered in greasy water and filtered light, was covered in skulls of different lusii, all floating in the stagnate water. The area smelled of death and rotting flesh; the trees covered in moss and flies.

"It's really creepy." Vriska stood, gaping.

"Yeah." Tavros grinned. "Isn't it great?"

Vriska turned to Tavros with naughtiness. "We could get in big trouble."

"I know, huh."

She looked up at the giant skull of a seagoat lusus.

"I wonder if its brains are still in there."

"There's only one way to know. Come on. Let's go check it out."

As they began to creep up to the skull, Tinkerbull, out of nowhere, flew in front of the duo.

"The only checking out you will do will be to check out of here!" He yelled angrily.

"Aw man." Tavros pouted.

"We're way beyond the boundary of the Pride lands."

"Huh. Look. Fairy Cow is scared."

Tinkerbull poked Tavros in the nose. "That's Mr. Fairy Cow to you, horns. And right now we are all in very real danger.

Tavros moves closer to the edge of the swamp. "Danger? Hah! I walk on the wild side. I laugh in he face of danger. Ha ha ha ha!"

Bubbles formed at the top of the swamp, rapidly moving towards the group. Out of the swamp, three figures stepped out, laughing with the echo of Tavros' confident laughter.

"Well, well, well, Cronus." The tallest one grinned. "What do we have here?"

"Hmm." Cronus replied. "I don't knovw, Condesce. Vwhat do you think, Meenah."

"Just a trio of glubbing trespassers!" Meenah laughed.

"And quite by accident, let me assure you." Tinkerbull began to sweat. "A simple navigational error. Eh heh heh..."

"Whoa, whoa, wait wait wait." Condesce looked closer at Tinkerbull. "I know you. You're Summoner's little flying stooge."

"I, madam, am the king's majordomo."

"And that vwould make you...?" Cronus stared down at Tavros.

"The future king." Tavros answered.

"Do you know what we do to kings who step out of their kingdom?" Condesce asked, baring her sharp teeth.

"Puh. You can't do anything to me."

"Uhh." Tinkerbull flew closer to Tavros. "Technically, they can. We are on their land."

"But, Tinkerbull. You told me they're nothing but sloppy, wet, stupid fish."

Tinkerbull began whispering. "Ix-nay on the oopid-stay."

"Vwho are you callin 'oopid-stay'!?" Cronus snapped.

"My, my, my." Tinkerbull worried, looking up at the sky. "Look at the sun. It's time to go!"

"What's the hurry?" Condesce asked. "We'd looooove you to stick around for dinner."

"Yeah!" Meenah chuckled. "We can have whatever... LANDS in our territory! Get it? Cause their landdwellers!"

All three of them laughed uncontrollably.

"Oh vwait, vwait, vwait." Cronus half laughed. "I got one, I got one. Make mine a "king" sized. Vwatcha think?"

They all burst into laughter, unknowning that Tavros and Vriska had run off.

"Hey," Meenah noticed. "Did we order this dinner to go?"

"No, why?" Condesce asked.

"Because THERE IT GOES!"

Tavros and Vriska ran as fast as they could to get away from the laughing seadwellers. Tinkerbull was caught in mid-flight as he tried to get away.

"Did we lose 'em?" Vriska panted.

"I think so." Tavros gasped for air. "Where's Tinkerbull?"

They looked around, then noticed that the three seadwellers had Tinkerbull over a large puddle of slimey swamp water.

Meenah held Tinkerbull by his hoofs and walked him to the puddle.

"The little majordomo bull hippity-hopped all the was to the lusus boiler." She giggled, dropping him into the puddle of swamp water.

Tinkerbull was shot off into the sky, his rear end steaming.

"Hey!" Tavros yelled. "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?"

"Like you?" Condesce smiled.

"Oops."

The seadwellers start chasing the duo. They run behind a tree, when the seadwellers stick there heads around it.

"BOO!" They yelled, laughing at the two's scared expressions.

They chase the two up a skull, and Tavros and Vriska slip away by sliding down the long spine. They shoot off the end of the spine and land on a pile of bones.

"Tavros!" Vriska screamed.

Tavros looked down to notice Vriska was falling down the pile of bones.

He runs down the pile and butts Condesce with his horn, distracting her long enough for them to get away. Condesce looks back at them, enraged, and corners them in a cave.

"Heh heh heh." Cronus laughed. "Come here, little prince."

Tavros tries to scare them off by grunting, but barely gets the sound deep enough.

"Oo-hoo!" Condesce grinned. "That was it? Hah! Do it again! Come on!"

He tries again, but it over powered by a much larger and deeper grunt from behind the seadwellers.

"Huh?" They wonder, before getting pinned to the ground from Summoner. He stood on the trio, making sure they didn't get away as he glared down at them angrily.

"Oh, please, please." Condesce cried. "Uncle. Uncle."

"Ovw. Ovw. Ovw." Cronus cringed in pain.

"SILENCE." Summoner bellowed in anger.

"Oh, vwe're gonna shup up right novw."

"Calm down," Meenah pleaded. "We're really sorry."

"If you ever come near my son again..." Summoner growled.

"Oh this is..." Condesce laughed, trying to act suprised. "This is your son?!"

"Oh, your son?" Cronus added.

"Did you know that?" Meenah turned to Cronus.

"No... Me? I-I-I didn't knovw it. No. Did you?" He turned to Condesce.

"No!" She answered. "Of course not."

"No." Meenah half smiled.

Summoner grunted loudly, startling the three seadwellers under his feet.

"Toodles!" Cronus grinned.

The three seadwellers pulled themselves from under Summoners feet and sprinted out of the entrance to the cave.

Tinkerbull comes in and lands in front of Summoner, giving him a "that'll show 'em" look, but quickly withers under his angry glare.

Tavros stepped closer to his dad. "Dad, I..."

"You deliberatly disobeyed me." Summoner stared at Tavros angrily.

"Dad, I'm... I'm sorry."

Summoner stared sternly at him for a moment. "Let's go home."

He walkes out of the cave, Tinkerbull hovering behind him, and Tavros and Vriska following their lead with their heads bent down in shame.

"I thought you were very brave." Vriska whispered to Tavros.

The group walks out of the cave and out of the Burial Swamp. Standing on a ledge, Dualscar stood where he had watched their near-demise.


	6. Disciplinary

Chapter Five

The five of them continued walking down the large field. The night had grown crisp and was lighted by the quarter moon. The stars shined brightly in the clear sky.

Summoner stopped. "Tinkerbull." He called.

Tinkerbull flew over to Summoner and hovered in front of him. "Yes, sire?"

"Take Vriska home. I've got to teach my son a lesson."

Tavros looks down in shame as Tinkerbull flies over to Vriska.

"Come, Vriska." He says. "Tavros. Good luck."

Tinkerbull flies off, leading Vriska back home. Tavros is left standing behind his dad.

"Tavros!" Summoner called, still very stern.

Tavros walkes slowly toward his dad, realizing that he is so small and young compared to his father, and how he could do so much more than discipline him.

As Tavros reaches his father, Summoner stands there for a moment, thinking to himself.

"Tavros." He turns to his son. "I'm very disappointed in you."

Tavros looks down. "I know." He says quietly and sadley.

"You could have been killed. You deliberately disobeyed me. And what's worse, you put Vriska in danger!"

"I was just trying to be brave like you." Tavros' voice cracks and was on the borderline of crying.

"I'm only brave when I have to be. Tavros... being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble."

"But you're not scared of anything."

"I was today."

Tavros looks up at him. "You were?"

"Yes." Summoner puts his hand on Tavros' head. "I thought I might lose you."

"Oh. I guess even kings get scared, huh?"

Summoner nodded.

"But you know what?" Tavros whispered conspiratorially.

"What?" Summoner whispered back.

"I think those hyenas were even scareder."

Summoner laughed gently. "'Cause nobody messes with your dad. Come here, you."

He wrapped his arm around Tavros and starts giving him a noogie.

"Oh no, no!" Tavros wailed playfully. "Aaagh!"

They wrestled eachother for a few seconds. In the end, Summoner ended up on the ground, Tavros laying next to him.

"Dad?" Tavros turns his head.

"Hmm?" Summoner looks back at him.

"We're pals, right?"

Summoner chuckled. "Right."

"And we'll always be together, right?"

He looked up at the stars and sighed. "Tavros, let me tell you something that my father told me. Look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars."

Tavros looked up at the sky in awe. "Really?"

"Yes. So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you. And so will I."

* * *

"Man. that lousy Summoner!" Cronus grumbled. "I vwon't be able to liwve this off. That vwas humiliatin."

Meenah begins laughing at Cronus.

"It's not funny, Meenah."

She tries to stop laughing, but it becomes worse.

"Hey! Shut up!"

Cronus tackles Meenah and they begin fighting.

"Whale you two knock it off!" Condesce yells at them.

They both stop fighting eachother and sit on the ground, covered in dirt.

"Vwhale, she started it!" Cronus pointed at Meenah.

"I did not!" She snapped at Cronus' finger.

"Look you guys." Condesce sighed. "No wonder we're dangling at the bottom of the food chain."

"Yeah, I hate dangling." Meenah growled.

"Shyeah," Cronus added. "You knovw, if it vweren't for those landdvwellers, vwe'd be runnin the joint."

"Yeah. Man, I hate landdwellers."

"So pushy."

"And stinky."

"And dirty."

"And man, are they-"

"UuuuuugLY!" Cronus and Meenah laughed in unison.

"Oh," Dualscar came in and stood on his perch. "Surely landdwwellers aren't all THAT bad."

"Oh, Dualscar." Cronus sighed. "It's just you."

"We were afraid it was sombody important." Condesce added.

"Yeah, you knovw, like Summoner."

"Yeah."

"I sea." Dualscar stared at the three.

"Now that's power." Meenah shook her head.

"Tell me about it." Condesce groaned. "I just hear that name and I shudder."

"Summoner."

"Ooooh..." Condesce shivered. "Do it again."

"Summoner."

"Oooooh!"

"Summoner. Summoner! Summoner!"

Condesce rolled on the floor, laughing hysterically. "Oooh! It tingles me!"

Dualscar rubbed his temples. "I'm surrounded by idiots..."

"Come on, Dualscar." Cronus grinned. "I mean, you're one of us. You're our pal.

"Charmed."

"Ohh, I like that." Condesce complimented. "He's not king, but he's still so proper."

"Yeah. Hey, hey." Meenah called. "Did ya bring us anything to eat, Dualscar, old buddy, old pal? Did-ya-did-ya-did-ya?"

Dualscar sighed. " I don't think you really deservve this." He held out three large fish, the meat still fresh on them. The three of them looked up at them longingly. "I practically gift-wwrapped those twwo for you." He dropped the fish to the three of them. "And you couldn't evven dispose of them."

All three of them reached out to a fish and began stuffing their face.

"Whale." Condesce chewed on the fish. "Ya know. It wasn't exactly like they were alone, Dualscar."

"Yeah." Cronus swallowed a large chunk. "Vwhat are vwe suppose to do? Kill Summoner?"

Dualscar sat for a moment, thinking of what he just said.

He smiled evily. "Precisely."

The three of them looked up at Dualscar in confusion as they continued to eat the fish.


	7. Stampede

Chapter Six

Dualscar led Tavros to the middle of the canyon, where a large rock sat under a tree.

"Noww you wwait here." Dualscar gestured to the rock. "Your father has a marvvelous suprise for you."

"Oooh!" Tavros jumped excitedly. "What is it?"

"If I told you, it wwouldn't be a suprise, noww wwould it?"

"If you tell me, I'll still act suprised."

"Ho ho ho." Dualscar laughed and patted Tavros' head. "You are such a naughty boy."

"Come on, Uncle Dualscar."

"No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no." This is just for you and your daddy. You knoww, a sort of, father-son, thing."

Tavros shrugs.

"Wwhale! I'd better go get him."

"I'll go with you."

Dualscar turned and snapped at him. "NO!"

Tavros jumped in shock.

Dualscar cleared his throat. "Heh heh heh. No. Just stay on this rock. You wwouldn't wwant to end up in another mess like you did wwith the hyenas..."

"You know about that?"

"Tavvros, evverybody knowws about that."

Tavros looked down, embarrassed. "Really?"

"Oh, yes. Lucky Daddy wwas there to savve you, eh?" Dualscar puts his hand on Tavros' shoulder. "Oh. And just betwween us, you might wwant to wwork on that little grunt of yours. Hmm?"

Dualscar turns to leave.

"Oh. Okay." Tavros looks up. "Hey, Uncle Dualscar, will I like the surprise?"

Dualscar looked over his shoulder as he left. "Tavvros, it's to DIE for."

* * *

The loud growl of a stomach interupts the silence.

"Shut up." Condesce grinds her teeth.

"I can't help it!" Cronus whines. "I'm so hungry. I gotta hawve a hoofbeast!"

"Stay put."

"Vwhale, can't I just pick off one of the little sick ones?"

"No!" Meenah hisses. "We wait for the signal from Dualscar."

They notice Dualscar come up and mount a rock in view of the three of them.

"There he is." Condesce grins. "Let's go."

* * *

"Little grunt. Puh!" Tavros complains. He glances next to him and sees a small squeak beast.

"Grrnt!" Tavros grunts at the squeakbeast. It makes no movement and doesn't notice Tavros.

He takes a larger breath, grunting at it louder. The squeakbeast still doesnt move.

Inhaling loudly, he takes in a huge breath.

"GRRNNHT!"

The grunt echoes around the canyon and the squeakbeast skitters away.

The echo of the grunt is cut off by the low rumbling sound. Tavros notices that the pebbles are jumping.

A large group of hoofbeast come charging down into the canyon. Tavros' expression changed to completely terrified.

He runs in front of the herd and tries to get up onto the tree.

Meanwhile, Summoner and Tinkerbull noticed the herd charging not to far away from where they were standing.

"Oh look, sire." Tinkerbull points out. "The herd is on the move."

"Odd." Summoner looks suspisiously at the hoofbeasts.

Dualscar runs up to Summoner, out of breath.

"Summoner. Quick. Stampede. In the gorge. Tavvros' dowwn there!"

"Tavros?" Summoner was in complete shock.

He began sprinting towards the gorge. Tinkerbull flies ahead of him and spots Tavros on the tree.

"Tinkerbull!" Tavros cries. "Help me!"

"Your father is on his way! Hold on!" Tinkerbull calls back.

Tavros loses his grip but quickly tries to regain it. "Hurry!"

Summoner and Dualscar arrive at the lower end of the gorge. Tinkerbull flies up to them.

"There! There! On that tree!" He points out.

"Hold on, Tavros!" Summoner calls out.

One of the hoofbeasts ram into the tree Tavros was hanging onto, almost breaing it.

"Ahhh!" Tavros screams.

Summoner's wings began buzzing as he zips down into the gorge.

"Oh Dualscar, this is awful." Tinkerbull began pacing around at Dualscars feet. "What will we do? What wil we do? Hah. I'll go back for help, that's what I'll do, I'll go back for he-"

Dualscar kicks Tinkerbull into the rock wall, knocking him out, then follows Summoner's progress from the lip of the gorge.

Summoner flies up to Tavros and lifts him off the tree just before it snaps and falls into the charging hoofbeasts. He flies over to the ledge of the gorge and safely places Tavros down before he is hit by one of the hoofbeasts.

"Aaaah!" Summoner groans in agony as he falls into the herd.

"DAD!" Tavros cries.

He looks around in horror as he cannot find his father in the mass of hoofbeasts. Suddenly, Summoner jumps out of nowhere and begins climbing the side of the gorge. He tries to get his wings going, but groans in pain as he moves them.

When he reached the point where he couldn't climb anymore, he was right under Dualscar, who was looking down at him disdainfully.

"Dualscar! Broth-" Summoner slips, but regains his latch on the gorge wall. His feet frantically trying to find traction. "Brother! Help me!"

Suddenly, Dualscar latches onto Summoners arms, digging into his skin with his finger nails. Summoner yelled in pain.

Dualscar reached down with his head and whispered slowly and evily into his ear; "Long live the king."

Summoners eyes widened with fear, and Dualscar thrusted Summoner back down into the stampeding herd.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Summoner screamed as he fell back first into the hoofbeasts.

"Nooooo!" Tavros yelled to his falling dad hit the ground.


	8. Depaint

Chapter Seven

The herd passes. Everything is clouded in dust as Tavros tries frantically to find his dad.

"Dad!" He coughs.

He hears a sound and turns toward it.

"Dad?"

A stray hoofbeast curves around a log and runs off. Under the log is Summoner, unmoving and not breathing. Tavros approaches the body.

"Dad? Dad, come on." Tavros rubs his hand on Summoner's head. His head rolls back to its original position. "You gotta get up." He pushes harder on Summoners cheek, but still nothing happens. " Dad. We gotta go home." Tavros realizes that Summoner is unresposive.

"HEEEELP!" Tavros calls through the gorge. "Somebody!"

He listens to his voice echo in the gorge.

"Anybody... help." Tavros crawls under Summoner's limp arm so that his father is embracing him. Tears roll down his eyes.

Dualscar appeared in the dust and watched Tavros cry to himself.

"Tavvros," He said, acting suprised. "Wwhat havve you done?"

Tavros notices Dualscar and get up, crying. "There were hoofbeasts and he tried to save me. It was an accident, I... I didn't mean for it to happen."

Dualscar embraced Tavros to comfert him. "Of course, of course you didn't. No one, evver means for these things to happen. But the king IS dead. And if it wweren't for you, he'd still be alivve."

Tavros feels crushed and pulls himself out of Dualscars emrace.

"Oh!" Dualscar continues. "Wwhat wwhale the rest of them think?"

Tavros sniffs and wipes his tears. "What am I gonna do?"

"Run awway, Tavvros. Run. Run awway and nevver return."

Tavros sprints in the oppisite direction, still heartbroken. Behind Dualscar, the three seadwellers appear, ready to go after him.

"Kill him." Dualscar orders, and all three of them run after the child.

Tavros looks back and realizes the three seadwellers chasing after him and begins running faster. He reaches the lip of a sheer drop into briars. Having no choice but to jump, he tumbles through a small opening in the bushes and crawls under the large patch.

Cronus sees the patch of briars and recoils.

"Vwoah!" He skids to a halt right in front of the drop and sighs in relief. Condesce and Meenah run into him, propelling him into the bushes.

"YEOVW!" Cronus yells, jumping back out of the bushes.

Condesce and Meenah laugh hysterically as Cronus pulls thorns out of his butt.

"Hey!" Meenah yells, seeing Tavros emerge on the other end of the bushes. "There he goes! There he goes!"

Cronus pulls out another thorn. "So go get him." He growls.

"There ain't no way I'm going in there." Condesce frowned. "What, you want me to come out of there looking like you? Cactus Butt?"

"Vwe gotta finish the job." Cronus threw the thorns into Meenah's foot, causing her to yelp in pain.

"Well, he's as good as dead out there anyway. And IF he comes back, we'll kill him."

Meenah pulled the thorns out of her foot. "Yeah! You hear that!?" She shouted at fleeing Tavros. "If you ever come back, we'll kill ya!"

* * *

"Summoner's death wwas a terrible tragedy," Dualscar morned to the crowd of trolls. "But to lose Tavvros, wwho had barely begun to livve..."

Some of the trolls were comferting eachother, including Tinkerbull, who tried to calm crying Vriska.

"...For me it is a deep, personal loss. So it is wwith a heavvy heart that I asume the throne. Yet, out of the ashes of this tragedy, wwe shall rise to great the dawwning of a neww era." Seadwellers begin to emerge around the rock, slowly making their way to the crowd of trolls. "In which seadwwellers and landdwwellers come together, in a great and glorious future!"

It the distance, we see the elder, wiping away a single tear as he smears the painting of Tavros on his wall.


	9. Hakuna Matata

Chapter Eight

Trolls circle the limp body of Tavros. All of them dressed in ragged clothes and covered in sand.

They all turn to the sound of yelling and begin running in the opposite direction.

"GET OUT! GET OUT! Get outta here! Wwhoo!"

"Ha ha! Get's them every time!"

One of them looks down at Tavros.

"Uh-oh. Hey Eridan. You better come look. I think it's still alive."

Eridan walked in front and looked down at Tavros.

"All righty, wwhat havve wwe got here?" He bent down and poked Tavros in the side. He noticed that his arm was covering half his head, so he picked it up to look at it.

"Jeez!" Eridan jumped back. "It's a landdwweller! Let's get out of here, Fef! Movve it!"

"Hey, Eridan," Feferi looked sadley at Tavros. "It's just a little one. Look at him. He's so cute, and all alone. Can we keep him?"

"Fef, are you nuts?! We're talkin about a landdwweller! They krill guys like us!"

"Maybe he'll be on our side."

"A-huh! That's the stupidest thing I evver heard. Maybe he'll b-" Eridan stopped for a moment. "Hey, I got it! Wwhat if he's on our side? You knoww, havvin a landdwweller around might not be such a bad idea."

"So we're keeping him?"

"Of course. Wwho's the brains in this outfit?"

Feferi picked up Tavros and cradled him, thinking for a second. "Uhh..."

"My point exactly. Jeez, I'm fried. Let's get out of here and find some shade."

They both walk off into the distance, Feferi behind Eridan carrying Tavros.

* * *

Eridan and Feferi hudled around Tavros, who had been laid down near the edge of a large lake. Eridan splashes some water into Tavros' face and Tavros begins to stir.

"You okay, kid?" Eridan askes as Tavros opens his eyes.

"I guess so." He answers calmly.

"You nearly died." Feferi added.

"I savved you." Eridan gloated.

Feferi glared at Eridan.

"Wwhale, uh, Fef helped. A little."

"Thanks for your help." Tavros said dully.

He gets up and heads back towards the desert quietly.

"Hey, wwhere are you goin?" Eridan called to him.

"Nowhere."

Eridan leaned towards Feferi and whispered, "Gee. He looks blue."

"I'd say greyish-brown." Feferi answered.

"No, no, no, no. I mean he's depressed."

"Oh."

They both catch up to Tavros.

"Hey kid," Feferi asked. "What's eating ya?"

"Nothing," Eridan joked. "He's at the top of the food chain!"

Tavros and Feferi stared at Eridan unenthusiastically.

"Ahem. So, wwhere you from?"

"Who cares." Tavros answered. "I can't go back."

"Ahh. You're an outcast! That's great, so are wwe."

"What'cha do, kid?" Feferi asked.

"Something terrible." Tavros muttered. "But I don't wanna talk about it."

"Good." Eridan crossed his arms. "Wwe don't wwanna hear about it."

Feferi bumbed Eridan with her elbow.

"Anything we can do?" She put her hand on his shoulder.

"Not unless you can change the past." Tavros looked back at her sadly.

"You know, kid, in times like this my buddy Eridan her says, 'You got to put your behind in your past'."

Eridan waved his arms. "No, no, no.

"I mean..."

"Amateur. Lie dowwn before you hurt yourself." He turned to Tavros. "It's 'You got to put your past behind you.' Look, kid. Bad things happen, and you can't do anything about it, right?"

"Right." Tavros nodded.

Eridan poked his nose. "Wwrong! Wwhen the wworld turns its back on you, you turn your back on the wworld!"

"Well, that's not what I was taught."

"Then maybe you need a neww lesson. Repeat after me. Ahem. Hakuna Matata."

"What?"

Feferi explained, "Ha-ku-na Ma-ta-ta. It means 'No worries.''"

"Hakuna matata?" Tavros wondered.

"Yeah, it's our motto."

"What's a motto?"

"Nothing!" Eridan laughed. "Wwhat's a motto wwith you?"

"You know kid," Feferi added. "These two words will solve all your problems."

"Come on! Wwe'll showw ya somethin."

They led Tavros all the way up a long board to where an abandoned ship creeked in the large lake.

Eridan pushed back some fern leaves.

"Wwelcome to our humble home."

"You live here?" Tavros stared in awe around the vine cover decks and leaves that covered the whole ship.

"Wwe livve wwherevver wwe wwant."

"Yep." Feferi smiled. "Home is where your rump rests. Heh!"

"It's beautiful." Tavros grinned.

Feferi's stomach growled loudly. "I'm starved."

"I'm so hungry I could eat a whole hoofbeast."

Eridan stared at him with a "I-knew-this-would-happen" face.

"Eeeeahhah." He groaned. "Wwe're fresh out of hoofbeast."

"Any squeakbeast?"

"Nope. Listen, kid; if you livve wwith us, you havve to eat like us. Hey, this looks like a good spot to rustle up some grub.

Eridan reached into the pit of green slime and pulled out a large grub. It squirmed in his hands.

"Eeew. What's that?" Tavros recoiled.

"A grub. Wwhat's it look like?"

"Eeew. Gross."

Eridan ate a mouth full of the grub. "Mmmm. Tastes like chicken."

Feferi slurped up another grub. "Slimy, yet satisfying."

Eridan reached into the green slime again and pulled out a bright pink grub.

"These are rare delicacies. Mmmm." He crunches on the grub. "Piquant, wwith a vvery pleasant crunch."

"You learn to love them."

"I'm tellin you kid, this is the great life. No rules. No responsibilities." He pulled out a teal colored grub. "Oooh! The little cream-filled kind." He munched the helpless grub. "And best of all, no wworries."

Eridan handed Tavros a red grub. Tavros stared at it as it wriggled in Eridan's hand.

"Wwhale, kid?"

"Oh well." Tavros took the grub from Eridan. "Hakuna Matata." He took a big bite of the grub and slowely chewed it.

"Slimy," He looked more cheerful. "Yet, satisfying."

"That's it!" Eridan laughed.


	10. Sweeps later

Chapter Nine

"Nobody knows," Tinkerbull sung sadly. "The trouble I've seen. Nobody knows, my sorrow..."

"Oh Tinkerbull, do lighten up." Dualscar tossed a small bone at the cage Tinkerbull was trapped in. "Sing somethin wwith a little... bounce in it."

Tinkerbull thought a moment before continuing. "It's a small world after all-"

"No! No. Anythin but that."

"I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, diddely-dee-dee. There they are a-standing in a row..."

Dualscar, clearly enjoying it, began to sing along.

"Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head..."

"Oh, I would never have had to do this for Summoner." Tinkerbull murmered.

"Wwhat?" Dualscar screamed. "Wwhat did you say?"

"Oh, nothing!"

"You knoww the laww: Nevver, evver mention THAT name in my presence. I. AM. THE KING."

"Yes, sire." Tinkerbull shook as Dualscar breathed into his cage. "You ARE the king. I... I... Well, I only mentioned it to illustrate the differences in your royal managerial approaches." He nervously laughed.

"Hey Boss!"

Dualscar turned to see that Condesce, Meenah andn Cronus had entered the cave.

"Oh, wwhat is it this time?" He asked them.

"Vwe got a bone to pick vwith you." Cronus half grumbled.

"I'll handle this." Condesce hissed at Cronus. "Dualscar, there's no food, no water..."

"Yeah!" Meenah pouted. "It's dinner time, and we ain't got no stinkin entrees."

"It's the female landdwweller's job to do the huntin." He gestured to the trio.

"Yeah," Condesce responded. "But they won't go hunt."

"Oh, eat Tinkerbull."

"Oh..." Tinkerbull gasped. "You wouldn't want me. I'd be so tough and gamey and... eeww..."

"Tinkerbull, don't be ridiculous. All you need is a little garish."

Cronus whispered to Meenah. "I though things vwere bad under Summoner."

"Wwhat did you say!?" Dualscar snapped.

"I said Sum-"

Meenah swatted Cronus to remind him.

"I said, uh... hummer?"

"Good." Dualscar turned around. "Noww get out."

The three begin walking out, but pause.

"Mm, yeah." Meenah called back. "But, we're still hungry.

"Out!" He demanded. All three of them ran out of the cave.

* * *

A couple sweeps have passed since Tavros had left his home. He was now older and still living with his two friends. All three of them were on their backs, looking up at the stars, when Tavros let out a huge belch.

"Wwoah." Eridan applauded. "Nice one, Tavv."

"Thanks." Tavros smiled. "Man, I'm stuffed."

"Me too." Feferi rubbed her belly. "I ate like a fish."

"Feferi, you are a fish."

"Oh. Right."

All three of them sigh deeply in unison.

"Eridan?" Feferi asked.

"Yeah?" Eridan answered.

"Ever wonder what thoes sparkly dots are up there?"

"Fef. I don't wwonder; I knoww.

"Oh. What are they?

"They're flashbugs. Flashbugs that uh, got stuck up in that big, bluish-black thing."

"Oh. Gee. I always thought that they were balls of gas burning billions of miles away."

"That's the stupidest thing I'vve evver heard."

"Tavros, what do you think?"

"Well," Tavros looks around the sky. "I don't know..."

"Aw come on. Give, give, give. Well, come on, Tavros. We told you ours. Pleeeeeeeeeease?"

"Come on." Eridan added. "Give, give."

"Well," Tavros said reluctantly. "Somebody once told me that the great kings of the past are up there, watching over us."

"Really?" Feferi gazed in awe.

"You mean," Eridan asked. "A bunch of royal dead guys are wwatchin us?"

Both Eridan and Feferi burst into laughter. Tavros half-heartedly joined in.

"Wwho told you somethin like that? Wwhat mook made that up?

"Yeah. Pretty dumb, huh?"

"Aww, you're krillin me, Tavv."

Tavros looks back at he stars, then gets up quietly and leaves.

"Wwas it somethin I said?" Eridan looked at Feferi. She shrugged.

* * *

The elder, sitting in his old tree, got up in the sudden realization.

"Tavros? He's- he's alive?"

He got up and realized it was true.

"He he- he's alive!" He begins laughing.

Putting a dark brown paint around Tavros, he smiled.

"It is time!"


	11. The Chase

Chapter Ten

Eridan and Feferi half danced through the large field near their home. Feferi sang the farmiliar bass to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and Eridan joined in as they continued to walk.

"Ohi'mbube, Ohi'mbube, Ohi'mbube..." Feferi sang as deep as she could get.

"In the jungle, The mighty jungle," Eridan sang with Feferi. "The lion sleeps tonight. In the jungle, The mighty jungle..."

Feferi spots a runaway grub and follows it, still continuing the bass line.

"The lion sleeps... I can't here you, buddy, back me up!"

Eridan stops walking and full on sings. "A-WWEEEE-ee-EE-ee ba-Pum-ba-bum-ba-wway!"

He turned around to look at Feferi, and realized she was not there.

"Fef?"

Feferi, still softly singing the bass line, continued to follow the slow moving grub. The grub hops onto a log, and Feferi stared at it from close up. The grub notices her and flees. Feferi noticed a pair of bright blue eyes and a pair of horns moving through the tall grass.

"YEEEEAAAAHHHH!" She screamed, turning and running off. The troll jumped after her and chased her in a hot persuit.

Eridan turned his head to the noise. "Fef?"

Feferi runs near Eridan and gets herself stuck under a tree root, trying to squeeze through it.

"Fef! Fef! Hey, wwhat's goin on?"

"SHE'S GONNA KRILL ME!" Feferi skreeched.

"Huh?" Eridan turns around and sees the female troll sprinting full speed towards them.

"Wwoah!" Eridan jumps around the tree root and tries to pull Feferi out. "Jeez! Wwhy do I alwways havve to savve your AAAAAAAA!"

The female troll was just about on top of the two. At the last minute, charging out of nowhere, Tavros rams full on into the troll.

They both roll on the ground before they get up and wrestle each other.

"Don't wworry, buddy. I'm here for ya. Evverythin's gonna be okay." Eridan reasured Feferi before cheering on Tavros. "Get her! Ram her head! Go for the jugular. The jugular!" Eridan gets down to talk to Feferi. "Sea, I told you he'd come in handy."

Tavros and the troll both ram each other with their horns, before the female troll, catches one of Tavros' horns with her own and flips him to the ground. She then proceeds to crush him with her foot and grunt loudly.

He lied there and looked up at her.

"Vriska?" Tavros called up to her.

She stopped, got off of Tavros and watched him get up off the ground.

"Is it really you?"

"Who are you?" She asked Tavros.

"It's me. Tavros."

Vriska stared at Tavros for a second. "Woah!"

The ran at each other, embrassing in a long hug before releasing.

"Well how did you... where did you come from... it's great to see YOU!..."

"Aaah! How did you... who... wow... this is cool... it's great to see you!..."

Eridan was thoroughly confused now. "Hey, wwhat's goin on here?"

Tavros and Vriska ignored Eridan and continued to great each other.

"What are you doing here?" Tavros asked.

"What do you mean, 'What am I doing here?' What are you doing here?" Vriska wondered.

"HEY!" Eridan yelled to get their attention. "WWHAT'S GOIN ON HERE?!"

"Eridan," Tavros looked over at him. "This is Vriska. She's my best friend."

"Friend?!"

"Yeah. Hey, Feferi, come over here."

Feferi pulled herself out from the tree root and looked over at Tavros.

"Vriska, this is Feferi. Feferi, Vriska."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance." Feferi smiled.

"The pleasure's all mine." Vriska nodded.

"Howw do you do... Wwhoa!" Eridan gestured a time out. "Wwhoa. Time out. Lemme get this strait. You knoww her. She knowws you. But she wwants to krill her. And evverybody's... okay wwith this? DID I MISS SOMETHIN?!"

"Relax, Eridan." Tavros reassured.

"Wait until everybody finds out you've been here all this time!" Vriska grinned.

"Nobody has to know."

"Well, of course they do. Everyone thinks you're dead."

"They do?"

"Yeah. Dualscar told us about the stampede."

"He did? Well... What else did he tell you?"

"What else matters? You're alive. And that means... You're the king."

"King?" Eridan asked. "Pbbb. Lady, havve you got your trolls crossed?"

"King? Your Majesty!" Feferi got on the ground and inched towards Tavros' feet. "I gravel at your feet!" She began noisily kissing Tavros' shoes.

"Stop it." Tavros pulled his shoe away.

"Fef, it's not 'gravvel'. It's 'grovvel'." Eridan explained. "And DON'T- he's not the king." He looked at Tavros. "Are ya?"

"No."

"Tavros." Vriska stared at him.

"No, I'm not the king. Maybe I was gonna be, but... That was a long time ago."

"Let me get this straight." Eridan pointed at Tavros. "You're the king? And you nevver told us?"

"Look, I'm still the same guy.

"But wwith powwer!"

"Could you guys..." Vriska apoligized. "Excuse us for a few minutes?"

"Hey, wwhatevver she has to say, she can say in front of us. Right, Tavv?"

Tavros looked at them. "Maybe you'd better go."

Eridan and Feferi stared at Tavros with aghast.

"It starts. You think you knoww a guy..."

They both padded off, leaving Vriska and Tavros alone together.


	12. Hammock

Chapter Eleven

Tavros sighs as he watches Eridan and Feferi leave.

"Eridan and Feferi." He smiled. "You learn to love them."

Vriska bowed her head sadly.

"What? What is it?"

"It's like you're back from the dead." She said quietly. "You don't know how much this will mean to everyone... What it means to me."

"Hey, it's okay."

Vriska leaned closer to Tavros and held his hand. "I've really missed you.

Tavros, startled by Vriska's boldness, reciprocated. "I've missed you, too."

Standing at the edge of their ship, Eridan sighed heavily.

"I tell you, Fef, this stinks."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Them! Him. Her. Alone."

"What's wrong with that?"

"I can sea wwhat's happenin." Eridan half sang to confused Feferi. "And they don't havve a clue. They'll fall in love, and here's the bottom line. Our trio's down to two..."

"Oh..." Feferi sighed.

Tavros and Vriska begin walking and eventually sit down on top of a flowery field.

He looked over at Vriska, who was enjoying the wind blowing in her hair.

_So many things to tell her, _He thought to himself, _But how do I make her see the truth about my past? Impossible! She'd turn away from me._

Tavros rolled backwards down the hill; Vriska turned and watched him tumble down.

_He's holding back,_ She thought,_ he's hididng, but what, I can't decide. Why won't he be the king I know he is... The king I see inside?_

She rolles down the hill with Tavros, getting grass stuck in her hair. Landing at the bottom, the two laughed at each other.

Vriska leans over to Tavros and plants a kiss on his cheek. He looks startled at Vriska, who gives him a seductive smile. Tavros' expression changed from a suprised one to a comprehending one. The two of them lean forward and kiss each other. Tavros places his hand behind Vriska's ear as they continue to kiss.

Eridan and Feferi watch them and began tearing up.

"And if he falls in lovve tonight..." Eridan pushed away tears as Feferi sniffed. "It can be assumed."

Eridan hugs Feferi tearfully.

"His carefree days with us are history." Feferi wipped her face on Eridan's shirt.

"In short," They whinned together. "Our pal is doomed."

They let loose a full force crying fit on each other.

* * *

"Isn't this place great?" Tavros asked as him and Vriska walked along side each other.

"It is beautiful." Vriska looked at Tavros. "But I don't understand something. You've been alive all this time. Why didn't you come back to the Pride lands?"

Tavros climed into a large hammock made of hanging vines. "Well, I just needed to, get out on my own. Live my own life. And I did. And it's great."

"We've really needed you at home."

"Nobody needs me."

"Yes, we do! You're the king.

"Vriska, we've been through this. I'm not the king. Dualscar is."

"Tavros, he let the seadwellers take over the Pride lands."

"What?"

"Everything's destroyed. There's no food. No water. Tavros, if you don't do something soon, everyone will starve."

"I can't go back."

Vriska stomped her foot. "Why?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"What wouldn't I understand?"

"No, no, no. It doesn't matter. Hakuna Matata."

"What?"

"Hakuna Matata. It's something I learned out here. Look, sometimes bad things happen..."

"Tavros!"

"...And there's nothing you can do about it. So why worry?"

Tavros gets up and starts walking away from Vriska. She catches up with him.

"Because it's your responsibility!"

"Well, what about you? YOU left."

"I left to find help! And I found YOU. Don't you understand? You're our only hope."

"Sorry."

"What's happened to you? You're not the Tavros I remember."

"You're right. I'm not. Now are you satisfied?"

"No, just disappointed."

Tavros turned away. "You know, you're starting to sound like my father."

"Good. At least one of us does."

Obviously cut by the comment about his father, he turns around. "Listen, you think you can just show up and tell me how to live my life? You don't even know what I've been through!"

"I would if you would just tell me!"

"Forget it!"

"Fine!"

Tavros stormes off, leaving Vriska alone. He paces through a field, the stars looking down at him as he grumbles to himself.

"She's wrong. I can't go back. What would it prove, anyway? It won't change anything. You can't change the past."

He looks up at the stars.

"You said you'd always be there for me!" He yelled at them. "But you're not. And it's because of me. It's my fault. It's my fault."

Tavros choked back tears, when suddenly he heard a soft chant. Tavros, annoyed by the chant moves away from it.

He runs into a large troll, who was chanting as he smiled down at Tavros.

"Will you cut that out?" He snapped at the troll.

"Can't cut it out. It'll grow right back!" He chuckled, his deep voice rumbling.

Tavros starts to walk away. The troll follows him, continuing his chant.

"Creepy troll. Will you stop followig me? Who are you?"

The troll steps in front of Tavros and stares into his face. "The question is: Whooo... are you?

"I thought I knew. Now I'm not sure."

"Well, I know who you are. Shh. Come here. It's a secret."

He pulles Tavros' head closer so he can whisper in his ear.

"Asante sana. Squash banana!"

"Enough already!" Tavros pulled away. "What's that even suppose to mean?"

"It means you are a clown, and I'm not." The troll laughed.

"I think... you're a little confused."

"Wrong. I'm not the one who's confused; you don't even know who you are."

"Oh, and I suppose you know?"

"Sure do; you're Summoner's boy."

Tavros stood suprised as the troll smiled at him.

"Bye!"

The troll ran off. Tavros realized he left and called after him.

"Hey, wait!"

Tavros chased after him. When he caught up, the troll was sitting on a rock in the meditative louts position.

"You knew my father?"

"Correction." The troll said in a monotone voice. "I know your father."

"I hate to tell you this, but he died. A long time ago."

"Nope. Wrong again! Ha ha hah! He's alive! And I'll show him to you. You follow old GHB, he knows the way. Come on!"

GHB leads Tavros through some brush, but Tavros has trouble keeping up.

"Don't dawdle. Hurry up!" GHB laughed at Tavros.

"Hey, whoa. Wait, wait." Tavros tried to catch up.

"Come on, come on!"

"Would you slow down?"


	13. Reflection

Chapter Twelve

Tavros struggles to keep up with GHB as they make their way through the large canopy.

"STOP!" GHB hold out a huge hand and stops Tavros.

He parted the reeds and points past them.

"Look down there."

Tavros quietly works his way out and looks over the edge. He sees his reflection in a pool of water.

He sighed. "That's not my father. That's just my reflection."

"Noo." GHB motioned back to the pool. "Look harder."

Ripples form in the water, distorting Tavros' reflection, then resolves into Summoners' face.

"You see, he lives in you."

Tavros stood there, awestruck as he stared at Summoners reflection. The wind suddenly picked up. A huge image of Summoner is forming in the clouds, and is what looks like from the stars.

"Tavros." The image of Summoner spoke, rumbling around Tavros.

"Father?" He looked up at the shaped coulds.

"Tavros. You have forgotten me."

"No. How could I?"

"You have forgotton who you are, and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Tavros. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in te Circle of Life."

"How can I go back? I'm not who I used to be."

The clouds swirled, framing Summoner with radiating golden eyes.

"Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king."

Summoner begins to disappear. Tavros begins to run after the moving clouds.

"Remember who you are."

"No. Please! Don't leave me." Tavros yelled after him.

"Remember..."

"Father!"

"Remember..."

"Don't leave me."

The clouds dispers, leaving Tavros in the fields. The wind tossed the grass restlessly as GHB approached Tavros.

"What was THAT?" GHB laughed. "The weather! Pbbbah! Very peculiar. Don't you think?"

"Yeah..." Tavros stared at the stars. "Looks like the winds are changing."

"Ahhh. Change is good."

"Yeah, but not easy. I know what I have to do. But, going back means I'll have to face my past. I've been running from it for so long."

GHB pulls out a green club and smacks Tavros on the head.

"OWW!" Tavros whines, rubbing his head. "Jeez, what was that for?"

"It doesn't matter; it's in the past!" GHB laughs.

"Yeah, but it still hurts."

"Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or... learn from it."

GHB swung his club at Tavros again, but this time, Tavros ducks under it.

"Hah, you see! So what are you going to do?"

"First, I'm gonna take your club."

Tavros snatched the club from GHB and threw it away from him.

"No, no, no, no! Not the club!" GHB ran after his club. Tavros runs off into the distance.

"Hey, wher are you going?"

"I'm going back!"

"Good! Go on! Get out of here!" GHB laughs and hoots at Tavros, who had run out of sight.

* * *

Vriska approaches the two sleeping seadwellers and pokes Eridan with her foot.

"Hey." She tried to wake him up. "Hey, wake up."

Eridan stirs and opens one eye to see Vriska's face almost up against his.

"AAAAAAAAH!" He screams, waking Feferi up, who immediatly joins in.

"It's OK. Whoa, whoa. It's OK. It's ME."

"Don't evver do that again!" Eridan shook his fist at Vriska as he got up. "Landdwwellers, oy!"

"Have you seen Tavros?"

"I thought he wwas wwith you?"

"He was, but now I can't find him. Where is he?"

They turn to the sound of GHB's laughter.

"Ho, ho, ho, ho." He chuckles. "You won't find him here. Ha ha. The king... has returned."

"I can't believe it." Vriska stood in amazement. "He's gone back."

"Gone back? Wwhat do you mean?" Eridan turned to look at GHB, but realized he was gone. "Hey! Wwhat's goin on here? Wwho's the clowwn?"

"Tavros' gone to challenge Dualscar."

"Wwho?"

"Dualscar."

"Who's got two scars?" Feferi pointed at her face.

Vriska shook her head. "No, no, no. It's his uncle."

"The clowwn's his uncle?" Eridan asked, completely confused.

"No! Tavros' gone back to challenge his uncle to take his place as king."

"Ohhh." Eridan and Feferi said in unison.


	14. Confession

Chapter Thirteen

Tavros slowly crossed the desolated land, reaching the lip of a cliff and looks over his former home. It lacked life, it is painted in grays. Seeing the desolation, Tavros' expression changed to determined, and even fury.

"Tavros, wait up!" Vriska trotted up to Tavros and stood next to him on the ledge. "It's awful, isn't it?"

"I didn't want to believe you." Tavros sighed.

"What made you come back?"

"I finally got some sense knocked into me. And I've got the bump to prove it. Besides, this is my kingdom. If I don't fight for it, who will?"

"I will."

"It's gonna be dangerous."

"Danger? Ha! I laugh in the face of danger. Ha ha ha ha!"

Eridan and Feferi joined the two.

"I sea nothin funny about this." Eridan stared down at the lifeless land.

"Eridan? Feferi?" Tavros looked at them. "What are you doing here?"

Feferi bowed to Tavros. "At your service, my liege."

"Uh," Eridan pointed at the land in front of them. "Wwe're goin to fight your uncle... for this?"

"Yes, Eridan." Tavros nodded. "This is my home."

"Ffh. Talk about your fixer-upper. Wwhale, Tavv, if it's important to you," Eridan bowed to Tavros. "Wwe're wwith you to the end."

Tavros smiles appreciatively. All four of them begin sneaking up on the edge of their home, hiding behind a log and observe the hordes of seadwellers.

"Those dirty swampdwwellers." Eridan growled. "Alwways swwimin in filthy wwater. I hate them. So wwhat's your plan for gettin past those guys?"

"Live bait." Tavros whispered to Eridan.

"Good idea." He sat there for a moment. "Heeey."

"Come on, Eridan. You guys have to create a diversion."

"Wwhat do you wwant me to do? Dress in drag and do the hula?!"

* * *

"LUAU!"

"If you're hungry for a hunk of fat and juicy meat,  
Eat my buddy Fef here cause she is a treat!

Come on dowwn and dine  
On this friend of mine  
All you havve to do is get in line!

Aaaaare you wwishin"

"Glub glub glub."

"Fooooor some fishin?"

"Glub glub glub."

"Sheeeee's a big fish!"

"Glub glub."

"You could be a big fish too!

OY!"

Eridan stared at the hordes of seadwellers, all standing around them with their mouths open.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Eridan and Feferi screamed as the started running away from the hungry seadwellers. Tavros and Vriska snuck in after they left.

"Vriska." Tavros turned to her. "You find everyone and rally them up. I'll look for Dualscar."

Vriska nodded and headed off in one direction as Tavros began to climb up the tall rock.

* * *

"MINDFANG!" Dualscar called down.

Mindfang begins climbing up to Dualscar, the seadwellers snapping at her feet as she looked disdainfully at them.

"Yes, Dualscar?" She answered.

"Wwhere is your huntin party? They're not doin their job."

"Dualscar, there is no food. The herds have moved on."

"No. You're just not lookin hard enough."

"It's over. There is nothing left. We have only one choice. We must leave the Pride lands."

"Wwe're not goin anywwhere."

"Then you have sentenced us to death."

"Then so be it."

Mindfang stood in astonishment. She snapped disgustedly at him. "You can't do that."

"I'm the king. I can do wwhatevver I wwant."

"If you were half the king Summoner was you would nev-"

Dualscar whipped around and backhanded Mindfang. She fell to the floor.

He hissed at her. "I'm ten times the king Summoner wwas!"

Tavros stood on a ledge over Dualscar and grunted loudly. He jumped down and went to comfert Mindfang.

"Summoner?" Dualscar looked at him, appearing very frightened. "No. You're dead."

Tavros helped Mindfang to her feet. She looked up at him.

"Tavros?" She stared delighted at him. "Your alive? How can that be?"

"It doesn't matter." He answered. "I'm home."

Dualscar stared at him. "Tavvros?" He pretended to look happy to see him. "Tavvros! I'm a little suprised to sea you... alivve."

Condesce, Cronus and Meenah gulped audibly and sank into the shadows.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart." Tavros growled at him.

"Oh, Tavvros, you must understand. The pressures of rulin a kingdom..."

"...Are no longer yours. Step down, Dualscar."

"Oh, oh, ye- Wwhale, I wwould, heh, naturally, heh- howwevver, there is one little problem. You sea them?" He pointed to the horde of seadwellers above him. "They think I'M king."

"Well," Vriska interupted, standing in front of a large group of trolls. "We don't. Tavros is the rightful king."

"The choice is yours, Dualscar." Tavros grumbled at his uncle. "Either step down or fight."

"Oh, must it all end in vviolence?" Dualscar relpied. "I'd hate to be responsible for the death of a family memeber. Wwouldn't you agree, Tavvros?"

"That's not gonna work, Dualscar. I've put it behind me."

"Eh, but wwhat about our faithful subjects? Havve they put it behind them?"

"Tavros," Vriska stepped closer to him. "What is he talking about?"

"Ahh, so you havven't told them your little secret. Wwhale, Tavvros, noww's your chance to tell them. Tell them wwho is responsible for Summoner's death!"

All the trolls stared at Tavros as he looked down and took a deep breath.

"I am." He told the group.


	15. Ending Battle

Chapter Fourteen

Everyone stared at Tavros. Mindfang approached him

"It's not true." She asked. "Tell me it's not true."

"It's true." Tavros said regretfully.

"You sea!" Dualscar yelled. "He admits it! Murderer!"

Lighting struck in distance.

"No. It was an accident."

Dualscar began backing Tavros up the length of the outstreached rock.

"If it wweren't for you, Summoner wwould still be alivve. It's your fault he's dead; do you deny it?"

"No."

"Then... you're... guilty."

"No. I'm not a murderer."

"Oh, Tavvros, you're in trouble again. But this time, Daddy isn't here to savve you. And noww EVVERYONE. KNOWWS. WWHY!"

Tavros slipped off the edge, almost falling down into the fields, but hung on tightly to the corner with his hands. Lighting struck the field below him, igniting a fire.

"Tavros!" Vriska yelled.

Dualscar stands back and pretends to think, putting his hand on his head.

"Noww this looks farmiliar." He teased. "Hmm. Wwhere havve I seen this before? Let me think. Hmmm. Oh yes, I remember. This is just the wway your father looked before he died."

He reached down and dug his fingernails into Tavros' wrists, then lowered his head to whisper in his ear.

"And here's MY little secret: I killed Summoner."

Tavros stared in shock as he suddenly got strength to push himself up and stand on top of Dualscar in one, humongous leap.

"Murderer!" Tavros screamed at Dualscar.

"No, Tavvros please."

"Tell them the truth."

"Truth? But truth is in the eye of the behol-"

Tavros starts choking Dualscar with his foot.

"All right. All right. I did it."

"So they can hear you."

Dualscar yelled up to Tavros. "I killed Summoner!"

Vriska starts charging towards Dualscar as the seadwellers attack Tavros in a wall of teeth.

Eridan and Feferi at running at the seadwellers, kicking them in the rear end.

"Heeeeeeeeyyyy-yaaaaaaaaaah!" Feferi cheered as she booted several of them.

"'Scuse me! Pardon me!" Eridan swung his foot around. "Comin through! Hot stuff! Wwhoo!"

GHB swung his club at a seadweller on top of Tavros, knocking him to the ground. He then proceeded to beat down several others.

Eridan was chased into a cave by Condesce and the other two. Tinkerbull, who was in a cage at the far end, spots him.

"Let me out! Let me out!" He yelled at Eridan.

Eridan chrashed into the wall with his side, then slid down it to curl in a ball.

"Ple-he-hease don't krill me." he pleaded to the three seadwellers.

Feferi appeared in the entrance to the cave.

"Problem?" She called in.

Condesce, Cronus, and Meenah turned to Feferi and stared at her.

"Hey," Cronus asked. "Vwho's the fish bait?"

"Are you talking to me?" Feferi grumbled.

"Uh oh." Eridan's eyes widened. "They called her fish bait."

"Are you talking to me!?"

"Shouldn't havve dont that."

"ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?!"

"Noww they're in for it."

"They CALL me... MIIIIISS FISH BAIT! AAAAAAAAAHH!"

Feferi charged angrily at the three seadwellers, kicking and elbowing them as she drove them out of the cave.

"Take that! And that!" Eridan cheered on Feferi.

"Ovw! Ovw!"

"Ow! Hey! Ouch!"

"ARGH! Ow!"

"Take that! And that! You yellow belly..." Feferi yelled at them as they fleed out the cave.

"Take that, you stupid..." Tinkerbull grinned.

Tavros chased Dualscar up to the highest point. Dualscar runs up to the edge, only to notice the sheer drop. Tavros confronts his uncle.

"Murderer." He grunted.

"Tavvros, Tavvros." Dualscar pleaded. "Please havve mercy. I beg you."

"You don't deserve to live."

"But, Tavvros, I am, ah... Family. It's the swwampdwwellers... wwho are the real enemy. It wwas their fault- it wwas their idea!"

Condesce, Cronus, and Meenah overhear and back away grumbling at Dualscar's betrayal.

"Why should I believe you? Everything you ever told me was a lie."

"Wwhat are you goin to do? You wwouldn't kill your old Uncle...?"

"No, Dualscar. I'm not like you."

"Oh, Tavvros. Thank you. You are truly noble. I'll make it up to you, I promise. Howw can I, ah, provve myself to you? Tell me; I mean, anythin."

"Run." Tavros balled his fists as he hissed his order to him. "Run away, Dualscar. And never return."

"Yes. Of course." Dualscar looked down to see a pile of hot coals. "As you wwish... your Majesty!" He kicks the coals into Tavros' leg, causing him to cry with surprise and pain. Dualscar charges at him.

Tavros and Dualscar lock horns, grunting in each others faces as they try to throw each other off balance. Tavros takes the oppertunity, catching one of Dualscar's horns and throwing him back, like Vriska's charging tactics.

Dualscar is thrown over the edge and tumbles to the bottom. After landing, he weakly gets up and notices Condesce, Cronus and Meenah, all with evil glares.

"Ahh," He sighes. "My friends."

"Frie-he-hends?" Condesce half laughed. "I thought he said we were the enemy!"

"Yeah," Cronus added. "That's vwhat I heard."

Meenah laughs evilly as the three begin progressing towards Dualscar.

"No." Dualscar sweat nervously. "L-L-L-Le-Le-Le-Let me explain. No. You don't understand. No! I didn't mean for... No, No! Look, I'm sorry I called you... No! NOO!"

The three of them attack Dualscar as he screams in pain.

Rain opens up and douses the flames. GHB motions Tavros to ascend as king. He starts up, pauses to hug GHB as his father did, then continued throught the rain. A hole in the cloud opens, showing one bright star.

Summoner's voice echoed through Tavros. "Remember..."

Tavros let out a huge grunt, sounding through the large crowd of trolls and they all answer to it.

* * *

Tavros, Eridan, Feferi, and Vriska are all on the rock. Tinkerbull flies up to the point. Eridan is shaking his arms in the classic victory sign. All the trolls are there and cheering as from the presentation of Tavros.

GHB appears, holding the newborn grub. He lifts her to present her to the crowd.

And the Circle is completed.

**END**

* * *

_I do not own The Lion King... Obviously._

_This was just for fun_

_i cant paste the website i used for the script so i cant really put that sorry _

_I hope you enjoyed this as much as me c:_


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